The game remained locked at 0–0 all the way into the seventh inning.
Even Kanzaki Ryō felt a trace of pressure creeping in.
This was the first time since entering high school that he'd been pushed into such a prolonged stalemate.
Inashiro's defense—
Was airtight.
With Narumiya Mei at the center, fully evolved, they were a team that could rival anyone in the nation.
A true championship contender.
Even Seido… was struggling to break through.
In the batter's box—
Yūki Tetsuya tightened his grip.
He understood the situation better than anyone.
If he failed here…
His next at-bat might not come until the ninth.
And if the lineup stalled—
He might not even get another chance at all.
This is it.
He had to seize it.
Behind the plate, Harada Masatoshi's eyes sharpened.
On the mound, Narumiya Mei exhaled slowly.
They both understood—
Shut him down here, and the pressure shifts.
Mei… finish this.
Harada gave the sign.
Narumiya nodded.
Then—
Whoosh!
The pitch came in fast—
Yūki swung.
As the ball dropped, he lowered his stance, forcing his center of gravity down—
Even as his posture broke—
Bang!!
A violent impact.
The ball shot upward like a laser, slicing over the infield.
Narumiya's pupils shrank.
That stance… and he still—?!
The ball screamed into the left-field corner—
Landing just short of the wall.
"YUKI!!"
"TETSU!!"
The crowd exploded.
Yūki sprinted without hesitation—
Second base.
Safe.
A clutch double.
In a deadlocked game.
A crack in the wall.
"Kanzaki!! It's your turn!"
"Bring him home!"
"Home run!!"
Cheers roared from every direction.
Kanzaki stepped into the batter's box, bat resting lightly on his shoulder.
"…Didn't expect him to get hit on the first pitch," he muttered.
Harada said nothing.
Even he had been shaken.
That kind of power… from that form?
Kanzaki lifted his gaze.
On the mound—
Narumiya stood, eyes burning.
No smile now.
Only fire.
The air tightened.
Kanzaki's expression went still.
Now we're serious.
First pitch.
Harada signaled—
Forkball, outside.
Whoosh—
Kanzaki tracked it—
Swung—
Thwack!
"Strike!"
"…Forkball," Kanzaki muttered, pulling back calmly.
Harada watched him carefully.
Even that swing—
The power behind it surpassed Yūki's.
What kind of monster is this…?
No matter how many times they faced him—
He couldn't fully comprehend it.
But this wasn't about him.
This was about Narumiya Mei.
A once-in-a-generation talent.
If they lost here—
If he never reached Koshien even once—
That would be unforgivable.
Harada's gaze hardened.
We are not losing this game.
Second pitch.
Slider.
Whoosh!
Kanzaki stepped in—
Swung—
Crack!
The ball shot down the first-base line—
Foul.
"…Tch."
Kanzaki bent down, picking up his bat.
"That's annoying."
Harada exhaled slowly.
That almost went fair…
Narumiya had felt it too—
His heart had skipped a beat.
That pitch had been meant to miss.
And yet—
It had nearly been sent into the stands.
Now—
Two strikes.
Runner on second.
Everything came down to this pitch.
Harada gave the sign.
Reverse changeup.
Narumiya nodded.
This pitch—
Was made specifically for Kanzaki.
He had only used it once so far.
This time—
It would finish him.
Whoosh!!
The ball left his hand—
Kanzaki's eyes sharpened instantly.
Changeup.
But—
Which one?
Circle?
Or—
Reverse?
In a normal situation—
Impossible to tell.
But now?
Two strikes.
Runner in scoring position.
One pitch away from a strikeout.
He'll use his best weapon.
Reverse changeup.
Kanzaki stepped forward.
His body rotated—
The bat cut through the air with explosive force—
The ball dropped.
Shifted.
And met the bat—
BOOM!!
The sound echoed like thunder.
Harada's expression shattered.
"No—!!"
The ball soared high into the sky.
Higher.
Farther.
Every eye in the stadium followed it.
Center field.
Deep.
It's going…
The ball cleared the wall.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
"WOOOOOOOAHHHHHH!!!"
The stadium exploded.
"HOME RUN!!"
"KANZAKI!!"
"ACE!!!"
"SEIDO!!!"
The stands shook with deafening cheers.
Seido's cheering squad burst into song—
Brass instruments blaring.
Voices rising as one.
A two-run shot.
Breaking the deadlock.
Shattering Inashiro's defense.
A heartbreak home run.